Tobiloba Ayomide Amusan has created history by becoming the first track and field athlete from Nigeria and only the second athlete in the history of the Commonwealth Games to successfully defend a championship in the 100-meter hurdles.
On her route to claiming the competition’s top prize, the svelte Nigerian, who is 25 years old, also established a new Games record of 12.30 seconds.
Amusan, who is currently the reigning World champion in the event and holds the world record for it, made history by being the first Nigerian track and field athlete to win a gold medal at two different editions of the Games.
After winning gold at the 22nd African Athletics championships in Mauritius in June and the World Athletics championships in Oregon, United States of America last month, Amusan has now become the only Nigerian athlete in the history of the country to complete a grand slam of titles at the continental, Commonwealth, and world levels. The gold that he won at the 2022 Commonwealth Games was his third consecutive gold medal.
The gold medal earned by Amusan brings the total number of gold medals won by Nigeria to ten, which is one less than the 11 gold medals won in 1994, 2010, and 2014.
It is also one gold medal short of the three that the track and field team earned in 1990, 1994, and 2014, with the women’s long jump final and the 4x100m relays coming up later on Sunday afternoon and evening respectively.